The time change got me again this morning. I didn’t wake until after 8:00am. With camp broken down I headed up to the office to settle up on the firewood and by 9:15am we were on the road.
A quick stop to gas up and then just couple of miles to the Ohio border. Toledo is the first major city we reach but traffic is light and I never actually make it into the city. The first leg for today is 200 miles and runs east towards the Pennsylvania state line. About an hour in I’m already getting drowsy and need to pull off for a pick me up. I pull off and grab a cold water and Red Bull. It’s an extended break early in the day but I need to perk up a bit if I’m going to make it all the way into Maryland.
It’s mostly highway driving all the way to Cleveland. Traffic does pick up a bit once we hit the Cleveland area but it’s moving at speed so I’m still making good time. It’s after noon by the time we make it into Youngstown and the dealership there. I’ve decided to forgo stopping by the pizza joint Dad and I stopped at for lunch. It’s going to add miles and time, both riding there and eating. But the Youngstown dealership has a brewery. I walk in, purchase my chips and decide I’ve got time for a cold beer and at least an appetizer or something.
I am the only customer at the moment and possibly the first of the day. They only serve craft beer which isn’t what I want but it’ll do. The food is cooked in a food truck which can be expensive but they’ve got a good deal, a burger and beer for just $10! The burger isn’t great but it’s decent. It’s just a patty on a bun, no lettuce or tomato or anything, just a plain burger. But I put it down quickly and get back on the road.
Our next stop is Somerset, Pennsylvania. It’s only 160 miles away but it’s a three hour ride, that’s an average speed of just over 50mph. I’ve also got to go through Pittsburg. And the highway takes me right through it. It’s not too bad at first. I do hit some slow traffic that clears quickly but soon hit a couple miles of crawling traffic. The highway here is three lanes wide but there’s a tunnel ahead that’s only two lanes wide. Traffic on the other side of the highway is moving well though. It takes a while be we eventually make it into and through the tunnel. Tunnels aren’t really fun. They’re full of exhaust and sounds are completely distorted. Coming back into the light we’re back to moving at speed. The opposite side of the highway is completely back up though.
My highway riding turns into two lanes and I’m starting to cut into the mountains. The roads are mostly surrounded by trees and completely shaded in some spots. The ride is slow going as the road tends to curve back and forth, sometimes quite sharply. Many times the road is complete shaded and the temperature drops noticeably to downright chilly.
I’m hitting a bunch of small mountain towns. No fancy little resort towns, just regular, cozy little towns. By the time I reach our next stop it’s already 4:30pm and it really did take three hours to get there. This one is the Highland Harley-Davidson. It’s a fairly large shop but their parking isn’t the best. A quick purchase of chips and I’m outside making a call to the campground I’ve targeted for the night. I just want to know what time the office closes so I know if I’m going to make it before they do. They tell me 7:00pm and I’ve still got two hours to go so I should be good.
The next leg is only 45 miles but it’s going to take an hour to get there. It’s more of the same roads enveloped in trees and cutting into the hill sides. There’s one portion of road that is two lanes one way which is nice because I can take my time on these curves and not worry about impatient drivers. I never see the other side of the road though so don’t know where that was.
The 45 miles does take an hour but I fell it went by fairly quickly. Our next stop is the Highland Harley-Davidson in Cumberland, Maryland. Nope, I didn’t mess up my names, there are two Highland Harley-Davidsons, both have the same owner. I get there right around 5:30pm, just before they close for the day. I chat with with the sales lady for just a minute because I’ve got to get back on the road to make it to camp on time.
Leaving out of Cumberland puts me back on the interstate which is great because I can get this last 67 miles in under the hour and ten minutes Google says it’ll take. But my hopes of getting there in under an hour are quickly dashed.
Jumping on the interstate the speed limit is 70mph but quickly drops to 55. And soon down to 40mph. Why? Because just like all the roads I’ve been on recently, the interstate itself starts to curve into down through the mountains. There are very few straight shots and those that do exist are not long at all. Many curves slow you to 30mph or even down to 20mph. But the view, when I can get a look, is absolutely beautiful. It’s nothing but trees and sometimes you get overlook view of the forested mountains. Most of the trees are still green but some have started to change, a few yellowing, some already orange and few fully brown. I can only imagine what it would look like in a couple of weeks.
I-68 eventually brings me to I-70 which opens up a bit. Speed limit is back at 70mph. The road still curves back and forth but the straight shots are still quite short. The curves however are much wider and keeping a good pace isn’t hard to do. The forest breaks at one point and coming down a hill provides an excellent view of farmlands below. Several farmhouses, barns and silos all visible at once. The last hour falls away and I finally make it into the town I’ll call home for the night.
This KOA is tucked a good ways off from town and sits right on a large creek. It’s not my favorite location as it’s built at the bottom of a hillside. Getting to the office means riding up a gravel road, flat gravel isn’t great on a 1000+ pound bike, then riding back down to my campsite which happens to be right next to this creek. I check in and after the site fee and a couple of bundles of wood my total cost is almost $100. For that I could have stayed at the Red Roof Inn back in town.
I’m not feeling like searching for a place to go for dinner as it’s already 6:30 and I’ve still got to get camp setup. The kitchen/snack bar is still open so I just order some wings for dinner tonight. And I don’t have to wait for it, they’ll bring it to my campsite which is nice. But, as I said, my campsite is right next to the Conococheague Creek, say that three times fast, hell, I say it once. If I could roll out of my tent I’d end up in water. But being next to the water tells me one thing, the bugs are probably going to be bad. And they are, not near as bad as Missouri but still pretty swarmy.
I’m shooting for Virginia tomorrow which should be doable. I plan on getting into bed a little earlier than usual so I can get some extra rest. At the very least I can get up earlier than I have the last couple of days and actually get on the road on time. For now I have a campfire and my quiet reflection time. And with that, Good Night.
The Motorcycle Diaries of an Easy Rider 